The innovation engine for new materials

Melissa Moore

School: 

Lompoc High School

Grade Level: 

High School

Teaching Position: 

Chemistry
Marine Science

Supervisor: 

Quyen Nguyen

Department: 

Chemistry

Mentor: 

Tung Nguyen

Research Project Year: 

2022

Research Project Title: 

Measuring Glucose Concentration Using Organic Electrochemical Transistors (OECTs)

Research Project Description: 

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are useful as biological sensors because they are made of biocompatible materials and require relatively low voltage to operate. A typical OECT consists of three electrodes (gate, source, drain), an organic semiconductor linking the source and the drain, and an electrolyte connecting the semiconductor and the gate. This summer, I demonstrated that an OECT device utilizing CPE-K, a conductive polymer synthesized by the Nguyen research group, can detect a change in glucose concentration in a physiologically buffered solution. To fabricate the OECT device, I first established a functionalizing procedure of the gate electrode with an enzyme. Glucose in the electrolyte of the OECT is oxidized by the enzyme, which begins a cascade of reactions that ultimately change the current measured through the conductive polymer, CPE-K. The detection of glucose is based on the correlation between glucose concentration and the read-out current. By successfully building a working proof-of-concept, my project demonstrates that CPE-K can potentially be useful in sensing the concentration of biological metabolites, such as glucose, in biological systems.

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